The disclosure relates to an opening/closing detection mechanism and an image forming apparatus.
In an image forming apparatus typified by a multifunctional peripheral, an image of a document is read by an image reading unit, and then a photoconductor provided in an image forming unit is irradiated with light based on the read image to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor. Thereafter, a charged toner is supplied onto the formed electrostatic latent image to form a visible image, the visible image is transferred to a paper, the visible image on the paper is fixed to the paper by a fixing device provided in the image forming apparatus, and then the paper is discharged to the outside of the apparatus.
In some cases, the image forming apparatus has an interlock mechanism of interrupting electric power to be supplied to the image forming unit when a front cover or a side cover is opened from the viewpoint of an improvement of safety. A technique relating to the image forming apparatus having the interlock mechanism has been known.
A typical image forming apparatus has a first door and a second door which are supported by the image forming apparatus body in such a manner that the first door and the second door can be individually opened/closed and a safety switch switching ON/OFF of energization to electric parts in synchronization with the opening/closing operation of at least one of the first door and the second door. The safety switch has a switch body which is movably supported by the image forming apparatus body and which takes a standby position in synchronization with the opening operation of the second door and takes an actuating position in synchronization with the closing operation of the second door and a movable portion which is movably supported by the switch body and takes an ON position by engagement of the first door and takes an OFF position by release of the engagement of the first door. In the standby state in which the first door and the second door are closed, the switch body is disposed at the actuating position and the first door in the closed state is engaged, whereby the movable portion is disposed at the ON position. When the first door is opened from the standby state, the engagement by the first door is released, so that the movable portion is disposed at the OFF position. When the second door is opened from the standby state, the switch body is disposed at the standby position and the engagement by the first door is released, so that the movable portion is disposed at the OFF position.